The purpose of this study was to determine whether the ability to perceive pitch direction across a variety of melodic contours differs across grade levels. In addition, differences between responses to ascending versus descending patterns and between responses to two- versus three- versus four-note patterns were examined. / The main study involved two experiments; Experiment 1 examined children's ability to identify pitch direction using a visual aid; Experiment 2 examined children's spontaneous notations of the same melodic contours. / The results showed a subsequent increase in mean scores from grades 1 to 6 across both tests. The clearest increase in ability occurred within the first three grades with a plateau reached by grade four. Same-pitch patterns received the highest overall means. The ability to identify direction using a visual aid was easier for children than to write spontaneous notations. Melodic contours with larger intervals were more easily perceived.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.30159 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | Descombes, Valérie. |
| Contributors | Costa-Giomi, Eugenia (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Faculty of Music.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001747052, proquestno: MQ64141, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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